Seattle provides model for minimum-wage hike

Seattle is a vibrant and thriving city. In 2013, we added nearly 15,000 jobs. Construction cranes punctuate the skyline. Our retail and entertainment districts are alive with people day and night.

But that’s not the entire story. We also face a growing disparity between those who can afford what this affluent city has to offer, and those who struggle to get by. One Seattle resident in eight lives in poverty. The top 20 percent of households take home more than 50 percent of the income generated in this city ...20 times what households in the bottom 20 percent earn.

In this, we’re not different from anywhere else in the country. During the past 40 years, more and more wealth has concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer Americans. This undermines the essential promise of our democratic society — equal access and opportunity for all.

Unlike the rest of the country, Seattle has taken a dramatic step to address income disparity. On June 3, I signed legislation to raise the minimum wage in Seattle to $15 an hour. This increase will lift tens of thousands of families out of poverty and make Seattle more equitable and affordable for all who live here.

How we reached this historic moment is as important as the legislation itself. Elsewhere, efforts to increase income for the working poor have typically devolved into partisan disputes pitting left against right and business against labor.

Our goal was to increase income for low-wage workers without hurting local companies or sacrificing jobs. To get there, we pursued an intensely inclusive and collaborative approach that included an advisory committee of leaders from local businesses, labor organizations, non-profits and the city. To make sure everyone’s ideas and concerns were heard, we held public hearings, convened a citywide symposium and hosted an online town hall.

Finding the right balance between the needs of everyone from low-wage workers to family-run restaurants to national corporations required trade-offs and compromises. We had to answer tough questions about how a phase-in might work, how to calculate compensation and whether to exempt some businesses.

On May 1, we announced an agreement that gives businesses with fewer than 500 employees seven years to reach $15 an hour, or five years if tips and health care are included in the calculations. Businesses with 500 employees or more have three years to reach $15 an hour, or four years if employees are enrolled in employer-paid health plans.

Seattle’s innovative businesses large and small play a vital role in our economy and in our community. It was imperative to negotiate a middle-road approach that helps our workers without harming our employers.

At a time when many despair of the ability of government to address tough challenges, what we achieved is a model for how people with different points of view can still come together to find solutions. It’s also strong evidence that cities are the best places to find the kind of innovative ideas this country needs to build strong communities that work for everyone.